Our Materials
We don't make complacent decisions when it comes to materials. In fact, we search far and wide for the right materials that are beautiful, high-quality, and gentle on the earth. We only work with a select range of fabrics, trims and packaging materials to ensure the durability, quality and sustainability of our final products.
Organic Cotton
Conventional cotton is a dirty and thirsty crop. Cotton cultivation takes up 2.5% of the world’s arable land, but accounts for 16% of all insecticides used. Up to 4,300 tons of water are used to produce 1 kilogram of cotton fibers. Cotton farmers are also exposed to significant health threats due to high chemical inputs on the cotton farms.
Organic cotton comes from non-GMO plants and is grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides. However, the debate of whether organic cotton has a smaller water footprint is still up in the air. In general, we view organic cotton as a much more sustainable option than the conventional cotton, since it needs zero synthetic chemicals input, and its cultivation is less harmful to the soil and farmers' health.
At Orejas, all of our organic cotton is sourced from a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified supplier.
Hemp
Hemp is regarded as one of the most sustainable natural fiber. Hemp is a renewable crop that grows extremely quickly and densely, mostly without the need for fertilizer or irrigation. It also repels insects naturally, making pesticide almost unnecessary. Better yet, hemp returns up to 60% of the nutrients that it takes from the soil when dried in the field. Hemp has the highest yield per acre of any natural fiber, producing 600% times more fiber than flax and 250% more fiber than cotton on the same land.
One of the environmental concerns of hemp fabrics occurs when turning hemp plants into pulp in a process called retting. When chemical retting is used, the input might pose grave environmental hazards if not properly treated. Retting could also be water and energy intensive.
At Orejas, all of our hemp fabrics are sourced from a large scale manufacturer with comprehensive wastewater standards and treatment plants in place. The discharge is 24/7 monitored to ensure that it meets the national pollution level.
Trims
Our buttons are made with corozo nuts, buffalo horns and sea shells, all natural and biodegradable materials.
The collar and care labels are made from 100% cotton strips.
The hang tags are made with recycled paper content.
Packaging
Our garments come in compostable plastic bags that are certified OK Compost Home, meaning you can dispose of them in your home compost pile or curbside bins for industrial compost.
We use paper mailers that are made with 100% recycled content. You can easily recycle them in curbside recycling bins.